A journalist at a California daily newspaper has been fired for what its editor called "a deeply misguided joke." In an apology to readers, the North County Times explained that the journalist had altered an agency story to read that a Los Angeles city councilman had "strangled a kitten at a city hall news conference" rather than merely "held a kitten". There is nothing more important than running a newspaper that our readers can trust, noted the paper's editor. (Via Regret the Error)